By Jonathan Monovich. Conspiracies brew throughout the film and their legitimacy, though probable, becomes increasingly unbelievable, mirroring the mind’s desperation for answers….” In Dead Ringers (1988), the troubled Dr. Beverly Mantle (Jeremy Irons) says that “pain creates character distortion.” This quote encapsulates the essence of David Cronenberg’s oeuvre. Cronenberg has […]
Global Relations Right Now: Berlin International Film Festival 2025
By Ali Moosavi. Hysteria also has something to say about some people’s preconceived ideas of others of different race and religion, something that is fueling Germany and a few other Western countries now….” The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, like all other major film festivals, has […]
“I Try to Make Each Film Feel Like a Debut”: Can Evrenol on Saýara
By Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. The idea of making a truly dark revenge film at heart, in this day and age of global political-correctness-vs.-fascism, felt like the right thing to do (especially) if you are a true genre fan/filmmaker.” – Can Evrenol Going back at least to Metin Erksan’s classic The Well […]
It Lives! Andrew Repasky McElhinney on A Chronicle of Corpses at 25 Years
By William Blick. Aren’t all genre films structuralist in nature? Isn’t everyone either obeying or disobeying genre conventions?” –Andrew Repasky McElhinney At the turn of the millennium, the filmmaking industry was in flux. A wave of visionary film directors emerged to embrace new forms of cinematic expression. The horror film […]
A Critic During Critical Times – Chris Marker: Early Film Writings
By Jeremy Carr. It quickly becomes evident how astonishingly active Marker was at the time. And yet, as volume editor Steven Unger observes, [this collection is] just the beginning of what is hopefully a progressive release and appreciation of Marker’s writing.” When introducing Chris Marker: Early Film Writings, editor Steven […]
Pacing and Place: Désirée Nosbusch on Poison (2024)
By Yun-hua Chen. The key was having the courage not to rush the pacing. People tried to convince me otherwise—they said it was too slow, that it took too long for the characters to meet. But I stood my ground.” –Désirée Nosbusch With over 30 years of experience as an […]
What the 80s Mean in Czechoslovakia: Alexandra Makarova on Perla
By Ali Moosavi. It was clear for us that we wanted to have an observer’s perspective so that it feels like I am invisible and standing with the camera and looking at these people.” –Alexandra Makarova One of the films showing at this year’s Rotterdam Film Festival is Perla by […]
Limitations and Innovations: An Interview with Filmmaker and Animator Richard Bazley
By William Blick. Speed is a huge advantage in live action. Animation is time consuming, and if you ask an animator to rework a scene, it can take days, maybe even weeks for a few seconds.” –Richard Bazley Richard Bazley has had an illustrious career in animation beginning with his journey on […]
Alchemy, Technology, and the Cinematic Grimoire: E. Elias Merhige’s Begotten (1989)
By Gary D. Rhodes. How of one ounce of Silver maie Silver be noe more.” – Thomas Norton, The Ordinall of Alchimy (1477)* Embodied practice and cinematic technology yields alchemical crucible in E. Elias Merhige’s Begotten, a non-dialogue film of 1989 that the London Film Festival declared “breaks all moulds, […]
A Strange Passion Indeed: Luis Buñuel’s Él (1953)
By Jeremy Carr. This story of hidden obsessions and malicious passions, climaxing in a scene of wild delirium, is like a bipolar soap opera and tragicomedy rolled into one subtly piercing satire of masculinity, authority, and persecution.” A Good Friday mass is underway. Somber music plays while altar boys have […]